A P-51 Mustang named Galveston Gal is seen at Ellington Airport Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, in Houston

A P-51 Mustang named Galveston Gal is seen at Ellington Airport Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, in Houston

Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

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BACK IN THE COCKPIT: Raymond B. Lancaster, 90, of Magnolia said when he climbed into the cockpit of Galveston Gal, a P-51 Mustang on display at the Lone Star Flight Museum, he was flooded by memories of the more than 60 combat missions he flew in his own Galveston Gal during World War II. He said he named the original P-51 after the song My Galveston Gal, originally recorded by Phil Harris in the early 1930s. less

BACK IN THE COCKPIT: Raymond B. Lancaster, 90, of Magnolia said when he climbed into the cockpit of Galveston Gal, a P-51 Mustang on display at the Lone Star Flight Museum, he was flooded by memories of the ... more

Photo: Kevin McGowan Photography-Housto, ALL

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Photo: Chronicle File

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A P-51 Mustang named Galveston Gal is seen at Ellington Airport Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, in Houston

A P-51 Mustang named Galveston Gal is seen at Ellington Airport Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, in Houston

Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

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Chocolate Bay area, near Galveston. (Google Maps image)

Chocolate Bay area, near Galveston. (Google Maps image)

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Chocolate Bay area, near Galveston. (Google Maps image)

Chocolate Bay area, near Galveston. (Google Maps image)

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Chocolate Bay area, near Galveston. (Google Maps image)

Chocolate Bay area, near Galveston. (Google Maps image)

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Chocolate Bay near Galveston

Chocolate Bay near Galveston

Photo: Google Map Image

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A P-51 Mustang aircraft performs during The 28th Annual Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Field on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, in Houston.

A P-51 Mustang aircraft performs during The 28th Annual Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Field on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, in Houston.

Photo: Mayra Beltran, Houston Chronicle

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Vintage plane crashes, killing pilot and U.K. man

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A vintage fighter plane crashed Wednesday near West Galveston Bay, killing an experienced pilot and a passenger who had paid for the flight, officials said.

Keith Hibbett, 51, of Denton, and passenger John Stephen Busby, 66, of the United Kingdom, were killed in the crash, which was reported about 12:30 p.m. Busby was on vacation and the flight was part of his 41st wedding celebration, said officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

The plane, a P-51 Mustang named Galveston Gal, flew out of the Galveston's Scholes International Airport, said director Hud Hopkins. The plane is part of the Lone Star Flight Museum at the airport.

"The pilot was not in contact with air traffic control at the time of the crash," said Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Federal officials have not determined what caused the crash. The plane crashed in 3 to 5 feet of water in an area between Chocolate Bay and West Galveston Bay, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Lehmenn said.

"It was just a horrific crash site," said Galveston Police Chief Henry Porretto, whose officers retrieved at least one of the bodies. "It's a big field of debris with parts strung everywhere."

A Galveston police boat was at a marina close to the crash site and arrived soon afterward, Porretto said. He said DPS was handling the investigation because the impact area was on the border between Brazoria and Galveston counties.

Larry Gregory, president of Lone Star Flight Museum, said Hibbett was very experienced, former military and a former airline pilot.

"This is one of the most difficult things that I have gone through," Gregory said. "The pilot is like a brother to me."

Gregory said he couldn't begin to guess what might have caused the crash.

"The airplane is meticulously maintained," Gregory said, adding that the plane had just returned from an airshow. "The plane was very special to us."

Gregory said authorities told him one person saw the crash.

$1,995 for a flight

Galveston Gal was among several vintage planes available for rides at the airport, said Hopkins. According to the museum website, a P-51 Flight Experience costs $1,995 for a one-passenger flight.

The plane was scheduled to appear at this weekend's Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Airport.

Bill Roach, director of the show, said the crash was not related to the event and that it will continue.

"While our hearts ache and we grieve, we will continue to share our love of aviation with our fans and move forward with our show," Roach said in a prepared statement. "And we will remember these two people, their families and their friends in our thoughts and prayers now, during our show and in the difficult days ahead."

10 years of rides

Airplane ride programs have been offered at the Wings Over Houston show for about 10 years, said Ralph Royce, a board member of the organization for more than 25 years.

"I would take a ride on just about any of those airplanes that are offering rides with full confidence," Royce said Wednesday night.

The airshow has no direct involvement in rides other than providing space and establishing procedures for the paying passengers to get to the aircraft, Royce said.

Royce, the airboss for this year's show, said the FAA ensures the airworthiness of the airplanes.

"They are maintained by some of the finest organizations in the world. They are maintained to excellent standards," he said.

The Wings Over Houston show does not collect any money from the ride program, Royce said.